Apparatus for severing and stripping insulated wire

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for severing and stripping insulated wire comprises a reciprocating advancing device, a cutter for periodically severing a predetermined length of the insulating wire, a slitter for simultaneously slitting insulation at a location adjacent to the cut end, and a back-stepping device for periodically moving the unsevered part of the insulated wire while holding the slit portion of the insulated wire, thereby to strip it from the wire.

Umted States Patent [151 3,638,5 1 7 Averbuch 1 Feb. 1, 1972 [54] APPARATUS FOR SEVERING AND 2,934,982 5/1960 Eubanks ..8l/9.51 STRIPPING INSULATED WIRE 2,718,802 9/1955 Cook ....8l/9.51 3,292,462 12/1966 Turecek et al ..8l/9.5l [72] lnventor: Joseph Averbuch, 10 Rechov Dizengoff,

Tel AViV, Israel Primary Examiner.lames L. Jones, Jr. [22] Wed: Apr 15, 1970 Att0rneyBenjamin J. Barish [21] Appl. No.: 28,609 [57] ABSTRACT Apparatus for severing and stripping insulated wire comprises [52] U.S.Cl ..8l/9.51 reciprocating advancing device, a cutter for p ri i l y 51 I CL l-loz i severing a predetermined length of the insulating wire, a slitter 58 Field of Search ..81/9.51; 83/924 for Simultaneously slitting insulation in a location adjacent to the cut end, and a back-stepping device for periodically mov- 56] References Cited ing the unsevercd part of the insulated wire while holding the slit portion of the insulated wire, thereby to strip it from the UNITED STATES PATENTS wire- 1,987,959 [[1935 Knuuti et a1. ..81/9.51 4 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTEBHJB H972 3,538.51?

JOSE PH AVERBUCH Jnvenror HIS Al rorney APPARATUS FOR SEVERING AND STRIPPING INSULATED WIRE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to apparatus for automatically severing predetermined lengths of insulated wire and for simultaneously stripping ofi an end portion of the insulated wire.

2. Description of the Prior Art It is frequently necessary to produce large quantities of insulated wire of uniform length with at least one end part of the insulation stripped off for making the electrical connections. The cutting of the wire from the supply reel, and/or the stripping of the insulation, may be done by hand, which of course is time consuming and expensive. A number of machines have been devised for accomplishing this in a fully or partially automatic manner, but such machines are usually very complicated and costly.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION The present invention provides a fully automatic and relatively simple machine for accomplishing the foregoing.

According to the present invention, the apparatus comprises an advancing device for periodically advancing the insulated wire from the supply reel, a cutter for periodically severing a predetermined length of the insulating wire after it has been advanced, a slitter for periodically slitting only the insulation of the insulated wire at a location adjacent to the severed end, and a back-stepping device for periodically moving the unsevered part of the insulated wire in the direction opposite to the advancing direction while the slit portion of the insulated wire is restrained from such movement, thereby to strip said strip portion from the wire.

In the preferred embodiment described below, the slitter is in the form of a pair of closable slitting knives each formed with a semicircular cutout of a diameter no larger than that of the bare wire. In this embodiment, the cutter also includes a pair of closable cutting knives, but these are spaced from the slitting knives in the advancing direction and are actuated simultaneously with the slitting knives.

According to a still further feature in the described embodiment, the advancing device comprises a reciprocating member disposed between the cutter and the supply reel and reciprocated back and forth in the advancing and return direction. Means are also provided for simultaneously reciprocating the latter member in the direction perpendicular to the advancing direction. Further, there are a pair of closable grasping elements carried by the reciprocating member and disposed on opposite sides of the insulated wire. These grasping elements are opened and closed by said perpendicular reciprocation of the reciprocating member such that during the advancing movement of the member, these elements are closed on the insulated wire to advance same, and during the return movement of the reciprocating member, they are opened and spaced from the insulated wire.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention is herein described, somewhat diagrammatically and by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates the overall arrangement of a machine constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 2, 2a and 3, illustrate the main parts of the advancing device in the machine of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4, 4a and 4b illustrate the main parts of the cutting and slitting devices in the machine of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5a and 5b illustrate the main parts of the back-stepping device in the machine of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference first to FIG. l, there is shown an insulated wire 2 which is to be cut into predetermined lengths and also to be stripped of insulation from one end thereof, as the wire is fed from a supply reel 4.

The machine illustrated for accomplishing the foregoing includes a drive shaft 6 driven by an electric motor 8. The drive shaft has coupled thereto three .discs, namely: disc 10 which drives the advancing device, generally designated 12; disc 14 which drives the cutting andslitting devices, generally designated 16; and disc 18 which drives the back-stepping device, generally designated 20. The main parts of such devices are described below with reference to the remaining figures.

Briefly, the arrangement is such that advancing device 12 is first moved in the advancing direction (leftwardly in FIG. I) while it grasps the insulated wire 2 so as to advance same .to the severing and stripping devices 16; the latter are actuated to sever a predetermined length of the insulated wire and at the same time to slit the insulation adjacent to the cut end of the wire; the back-stepping device 20 is then actuated so as to move the unsevered end of the insulated wire in the reverse direction (rightwardly in FIG. 1)-a short step, while the slitting device holds the slit insulation from such movement, thereby stripping the insulation from the wire end; and finally the advancing device 12 is returned while released from the insulated wire, preparatory for a new cycle of operation.

As shown, a guide tube 22 is disposed between the advancing device 12 and the back-stepping device 20 for guiding the insulated wire during these operations.

The advancing device 12 (FIGS. 2, 2a and 3) includes a reciprocable member 24 reciprocatingly mounted on a fixed rail 26. Member 24 is reciprocated in the advance (left) and return (right) directions by means of a link 28 (FIG. 1) coupled to drive disc 10. A depending member 30 is coupled to member 24 by means of a pair of springs 32 and 34, whereby member 30 is free to reciprocate in the perpendicular direction (i.e., up and down in FIG. 2) as it is reciprocated with member 24 in the advance and return direction. For effecting the perpendicular reciprocation of member 30, the latter is formed with a pin 36 adapted to move along the edges of a cam element in the form of a rib 38 carried by a fixed plate 40 underlying the pin. The two ends 38' of rib 38 are cut at a bias to enable pin 36 to move along the circumference of the rib and thereby to reciprocate member 30 (up and down in FIG. 2) the thickness of the rib, which is but a few millimeters.

A lever 42 is supported from member 24 by means of a pair of rods 44. Lever 42 actuates a pair of grasping fingers 46 which grasp the wire 2 during the advancing movement of advancing device 12, and release the wire during its return movement. For this purpose, the underside of member 30 is formed with a cam element 48 (FIG. 2a) which, during the perpendicular reciprocation of member 30, is adapted to engage a roller 50 (FIG. 3) carried on lever 42, causing the lever to pivot on pin 42'. The grasping fingers 46 are in the form of two elongated curved elements 46' and 46" (FIG. 3). Finger 46' is fixed to a disc 52 eccentrically connected to one end of lever 42 by arms 54 and 55. Finger 46" is fixed to a second disc 52" eccentrically coupled to the opposite end of lever 42 by means of arm 56. Both discs are rotatable on a common axis. A spring 57 is connected to both discs and biases them to their open position, i.e., with their fingers 46 spaced apart, as shown in FIG. 3.

During the advancing movement (leftward in FIGS. 1 and 2) of reciprocating members 24 and 30, pin 36 will ride along the top edge of rib 38, and therefore the lower end of cam 48 (i.e., the high part) will engage roller 50 of lever 42 causing the latter to pivot (clockwise in FIG. 3) against the action of spring 43, whereupon the eccentric arms 55 and 56 rotate discs 52' to close the two fingers 46' and 46". Thus, the insulated wire 2 passing between the two fingers will be grasped by them during this advance movement. During the return movement of the reciprocating members 24 and 40, pin 36 will ride along the lower edge of rib 38, permitting spring 43 to pivot lever 42 counterclockwise, thereby moving finger 46" away from finger 46' to release the insulated wire during this return movement.

A pair of gripping fingers 58 (FIG. 1) disposed between the severing devices 16 and advancing device 12 normally grip the wire, but when the advancing fingers 46', 46" advance the wire, they engage fingers 58 to open them and to allow the wire with the advancing fingers to pass to the severing device. Thus, the wire is positively gripped at all times.

The severing and slitting devices 16 are best seen in FIGS. 4, 4a and 4b. The severing device comprises a pair of closable knives 60 and 62, and the slitting device comprises a further pair of closable knives 64 and 66. Knives 60 and 64 are coupled together by a screwbolt 67, and knives 62 and 66, with a spacing element 68 between them, are coupled together by screwbolt 69. The assembly of knives 60 and 64 is carried by a bracket 70 pivotable at 71 to a mounting plate 72. The assembly of knives 62 and 66 is fixed to mounting plate 72. When the severing knives 60 and 62 are closed, they cut completely through the wire and insulation so as to sever the wire from the supply, but when slitting knives 64 and 66 are closed, they merely slit the insulation and do not cut through the wire. For this purpose, the two slitting knives 64 and 66 are each formed with a semicircular cutout 64 and 66' respectively (FIG. 4a), of a diameter no smaller than that of the bare conductor, i.e., the same as that of the bare conductor or larger. 1

The severing and slitting knives are actuated by disc 14 coupled to drive shaft 6. Disc 14 is formed with two cam surfaces, namely a radial cam surface 74, and an axial cam surface 76. Cooperating with radial cam surface 74 is a lever 78 pivoted at 80 and adapted to actuate the movable assembly of severing and slitting knives 60 and 64 by pivoting them on pivot 71 at the proper time in the cycle. Cooperating with axial cam surface 76 is another lever 82 pivotable at 84 and adapted to .move the mounting plate 72, and with it both assemblies of knives 60,64 and 62,66, in the perpendicular direction (up and down in FIG. 4b) at the proper time in the machine cycle for moving the knives into cutting position.

The severing and stripping devices are normally out of the path of the wire feed, being retained in such position, e.g., by a spring shown at 77 (FIG. 4b). After the wire has been fed by advancing device 12, disc 14 assumes the position such that lever 82 engages a high part of cam 76, causing the mounting plate 72 and the two assemblies of knives 60,64 and 62,66 to move into severing and stripping position. When the severing and stripping steps have been completed, cam 76 disengages from lever 82, whereupon the knives are returned to their normal withdrawn position.

For effecting the actual severing, which occurs when the knives are in their extended position, one end of lever 78 engages radial cam 74, causing the opposite end of the lever to move knives 60 and 64 (the latter carried by pivotal bracket 70) toward knives 62 and 66. Knives 60 and 62 effect severing of the wire, whereas knives 64 and 66 effect the slitting of the insulation, as described earlier. At this instant the backstepping device 20 (to be described below in more detail) is actuated so as to move the unsevered part of the insulated wire in the direction opposite to the advancing direction (i.e., rightwardly in FIG. 1), and since slitting knives 64 and 66 are still in position engaging the insulation and restraining this movement thereof, the insulation is stripped off the end of the wire. After this back-stepping and stripping operation is completed, lever 78 disengages from cam 74, bringing the knives 60 and 64 to their normal position spaced from knives 62 and 66.

The back-stepping device 20 for effectingand stripping of the insulation is shown in FIG. a and 5b and comprises a pair of members 86 and 88 one on each side of the insulated wire 2 advanced from the supply reel 4 and between the latter and the advancing device 12. Members 86 and 88 are normally spaced slightly apart (e.g., by a small spring, not shown) and are formed with aligned notches together defining a recess 90 for grasping the insulated wire. A pair of spaced pressure rollers 92 are disposed on opposite sides of members 86 and 88, but laterally thereof in the direction of supply reel 4. Member 86 is pivotable to member 88, the latter being carried at one end of a pivotable lever 94, the opposite end of which is coupled to a link 96 reciprocated by disc 18 on camshaft 6.

The arrangementis such that normally members 86 and 88 are in the position illustrated in FIG. 5a, i.e., not closed tightly together, so that wire 2 freely passes through the recess 90 formed between them. During the back-stepping part of the cycle, which as' indicated earlier occurs after the slitting operation but before the slitting knives 64 and 66 are returned, eccentric disc 18 displaces link 96 (leftwardly in FIGS. 1 and 5a), to move the two members 86 and 88 rightwardly between the pressure rollers 92. The latter close the two members causing them to grasp the wire and to move same in the rightward direction, i.e., opposite to the feeding direction. Since at this instant the stripping knives 64 and 66 are still in engagement with the insulation, the end of the insulation is stripped off. After the stripping has been completed, link 96 returns the two members 86 and 88 to their normal (left) position.

Many details of construction well known to those skilled in the art have been omitted for purposes of simplicity of description.

It will be appreciated that many changes, variations, and other applications of the described embodiment will be apparent.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for automatically severing predetermined lengths of insulated wire fed from a supply reel and for simultaneously stripping off an end portion of the insulation, comprising: an advancing device advancing the insulated wire from the supply wheel; a cutter disposed in the path of advance of the insulated wire and severing a predetermined length of the insulated wire after it has been advanced; a slitter disposed adjacent to said cutter between it and the supply reel and slitting only the insulation of the insulated wire at a location adjacent to the severed end; a pair of grasping members disposed on opposite sides of the insulated wire between the advancing device and the supply reel; a pair of spaced pressure rollers disposed on opposite sides of said grasping members between same and the supply reel; and a reciprocating element for reciprocating said grasping members to cause them periodically to pass between said pressure rollers, the latter causing the grasping members to close on the unsevered insulated wire and to back-step same in the reverse direction opposite to the advancing direction while the slit portion of the insulated wire is restrained from such movement by said slitter, thereby to strip said slit portion from the wire.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said advancing device comprises a reciprocating member disposed between said cutter and supply reel and reciprocated back and forth in the advancing and return direction, means for also simultaneously reciprocating said member in the direction perpendicular to said advancing direction, and a pair of closable grasping elements carried by said reciprocating member and disposed on opposite sides of the insulated wire, said grasping elements being opened and closed by said perpendicular reciprocation of the reciprocating member such that during the advancing movement of the member, said grasping elements are closed on the insulated wire to advance same, and during the return movement of the reciprocating member, said grasping elements are opened so as to release the insulated wire.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the means for reciprocating said reciprocating member in said perpendicular direction comprises a pin carried by said reciprocating member and a fixed element having a cam surface engaged by said pin, the latter moving along the circumferential edges of said cam surface during the first-mentioned reciprocation of and when the lever is pivoted in the opposite direction the discs are rotated to open the grasping elements, and a cam carried by said reciprocating member and adapted to pivot said lever during the reciprocations of the reciprocating member in said perpendicular direction. 

1. Apparatus for automatically severing predetermined lengths of insulated wire fed from a supply reel and for simultaneously stripping off an end portion of the insulation, comprising: an advancing device advancing the insulated wire from the supply wheel; a cutter disposed in the path of advance of the insulated wire and severing a predetermined length of the insulated wire after it has been advanced; a slitter disposed adjacent to said cutter between it and the supply reel and slitting only the insulation of the insulated wire at a location adjacent to the severed end; a pair of grasping members disposed on opposite sides of the insulated wire between the advancing device and the supply reel; a pair of spaced pressure rollers disposed on opposite sides of said grasping members between same and the supply reel; and a reciprocating element for reciprocating said grasping members to cause them periodically to pass between said pressure rollers, the latter causing the grasping members to close on the unsevered insulated wire and to back-step same in the reverse Direction opposite to the advancing direction while the slit portion of the insulated wire is restrained from such movement by said slitter, thereby to strip said slit portion from the wire.
 2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said advancing device comprises a reciprocating member disposed between said cutter and supply reel and reciprocated back and forth in the advancing and return direction, means for also simultaneously reciprocating said member in the direction perpendicular to said advancing direction, and a pair of closable grasping elements carried by said reciprocating member and disposed on opposite sides of the insulated wire, said grasping elements being opened and closed by said perpendicular reciprocation of the reciprocating member such that during the advancing movement of the member, said grasping elements are closed on the insulated wire to advance same, and during the return movement of the reciprocating member, said grasping elements are opened so as to release the insulated wire.
 3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the means for reciprocating said reciprocating member in said perpendicular direction comprises a pin carried by said reciprocating member and a fixed element having a cam surface engaged by said pin, the latter moving along the circumferential edges of said cam surface during the first-mentioned reciprocation of the reciprocating member to cause the latter also to effect the second-mentioned reciprocation of said member.
 4. Apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein said pair of grasping elements are carried by a pair of discs rotatably mounted on a common axis, said discs being coupled to a pivotable lever such that when the lever is pivoted in one direction the discs are rotated to close the grasping elements, and when the lever is pivoted in the opposite direction the discs are rotated to open the grasping elements, and a cam carried by said reciprocating member and adapted to pivot said lever during the reciprocations of the reciprocating member in said perpendicular direction. 